April 2013 Newsletter

Choral Music and Rehearsal Techniques

Our second to last program of the year will focus on choral music and rehearsal techniques. As a community of primarily church musicians, it’s important for us to continue to discover new repertoire and ways to teach that repertoire to our choirs. It seems that no matter how many sessions on rehearsal techniques I attend, I always take away a few new tricks to apply in the rehearsal. While these types of programs might not be social, they fulfill the mission statement of the AGO by encouraging excellence and educating.

Our presenter, Dr. Trent Patterson, is the Director of Choral Studies and Music Education at Webster University and the Choirmaster at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Webster Groves. Dr. Patterson is finishing up his third successful year in the music department. He has extensive experience as a conductor and music educator in secondary public school and university choral music programs in Florida, Michigan, California, and Iowa. He has served as conductor of community choirs, festival choirs, chamber opera, and church choirs. An advocate of programming repertoire from all style periods as well as new music by living composers, Dr. Patterson has conducted or prepared world premiere performances of works by composers including Kirke Mechem and Adolphus Hailstork.

His D.M.A., with a dissertation topic “Charlene Archibeque: An Iconic Figure in American Choral Music,” is from Michigan State University. Patterson received a Bachelor of Music in choral music education from The Florida State University and a Master of Arts in choral conducting from San José State University. His primary conducting teachers are David Rayl, Sandra Snow, Jonathan Reed, Charlene Archibeque, and André J. Thomas.

Dr. Patterson is an active adjudicator and clinician for choirs in the St. Louis area and for music festivals and contests throughout the country. He and his wife soprano Heather Patterson reside in South St. Louis in the Tower Grove neighborhood. They are expecting their first child in late May 2013.

Dr. Patterson will bring along the Chamber Singers from Webster University to assist with the demonstration. The Webster University Chamber Singers, an auditioned ensemble of 20 singers, performs advanced choral literature from all historical periods, many world cultures, and styles. Throughout each season, this choir joins the Concert Choir to present major choral/ orchestral works. The choir often represents the university at community functions, and embarks on a tour every semester.

You will notice a survey inserted in this Opus. Please fill this out and mail it to my home address, or bring it to the meeting on April 22nd. Your answers will help guide the program committee as we move forward with the 2013-2014 program year!

From I-64: Take Exit 34C for Hampton Avenue. Drive south on Hampton for approximately 4 miles. Turn right on Clifton.

From I-44: Take Exit 286 for Hampton Avenue. Drive South on Hampton for approximately 3 miles. Turn right on Clifton.

From I-55N: Take Exit 202A for Carondelet Blvd. Turn left and head north on Carondelet. Take Carondelet to Morganford. Turn right on Morganford. Turn left on Germania which will become Hampton. Turn Left on Itaska. Turn right on Clifton.

Stephen Eros,Subdean Program Chair

From the Dean…

I hope you survived the busy religious Holy Days and are eagerly preparing for the Member’s Recital on May 20, 2013. Please let Sub-Dean and Program Chair, Stephen Eros, subdean@agostlouis.org know of your interest in playing on that program.

It was good to see many of you at the various recitals and programs hosted by our members throughout the Jewish, Islamic, Christian, and Orthodox observances in February and March. Saint Louis certainly offers many opportunities for you to hear diverse music and cheer your colleagues. An enthusiastic and supportive audience is always appreciated!

Please remember to go to our website, www.agostlouis.org, and update your information and availability as a substitute organist for Sundays, Weddings, Funerals, or weekdays. I have received several enquiries about available people for substituting on Sundays. If your information has changed, please let us know via e-mail about your new position or change in availability. You may send that information to Brent Johnson, registrar, at brent@brentmjohnson.net or to me and I will see that it gets to the correct people.

Election of our 2016 class of Executive Board Members is described elsewhere in this newsletter. Please mail your ballots to Denis Doelling, 1210 Brownell Av, Saint Louis, MO, 63122-3208 as soon as possible, so you won’t forget! If you would like to vote for someone other than those presented by the nominating committee, there is a process to submit another candidate. According to our Bylaws, additional nominations may be made by petitions signed by at least five (5) members in good standing of the Chapter and submitted to the Secretary, Cathy Cassy, cmcass@yahoo.com, within thirty (30) days of the announcement of the Nominating Committee.

Our efforts to “Grow the Guild” have been successful in gaining several new members and re-activating some members whose membership had lapsed. Please join me and practice radical hospitality at our meetings and programs. Your willingness to introduce or re-introduce yourself to visitors and colleagues one-on-one is essential to help others feel welcome and wanted in our Chapter. It can be very difficult to walk into a group where people have been rumored to be cliquish and snobby. Of course, WE know we’re not like that, or if we are, STOP IT! Help us become so friendly that no one ever leaves a meeting or program without several people speaking to them and making them feel welcome. This is the responsibility of every member, not just the Dean or Executive Committee.

Remember to register for and plan to attend the 2013 Region VI AGO Regional Convention June 17–20, 2013 in Springfield, MO. Please check out their website at: springfield2013.com.

Our next meeting is April 22 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 4714 Clifton Av, Saint Louis, MO 63109, for a Choral Music Workshop led by Dr. Trent Patterson and the Webster University Chamber Singers. Dinner will be at 6:30 PM and the program will begin at 7:30 PM. Reservations for dinner should be made through Kathleen Bolduan at kathleen.bolduan@gmail.com. If you forget to make a reservation, there may not be enough food to go around and it will cost you $12 instead of the low price of $10.

All the best, Bill Wade, Dean

It’s Time to Vote for the 2013 Candidates for the Executive Board

Term July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2016

The slate of candidates for the class of 2016 Executive Board members were approved at the March Executive Committee meeting. Per the St. Louis AGO by-laws the committee was a three member team of which only one person is a present member of the Executive Board. Four candidates were approved for three positions. These positions are for a three year term.

ELECTION AND INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS

The annual election of officers shall take place via U.S. mail. The officers who are elected shall be installed at the May general meeting, and the term of office shall begin in July. Please read the four candidates biographical sketches below and then, on the official ballot, vote for three candidates. Return your ballot via US first class mail to Denis Doelling.

CANDIDATES’ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

DAWN RISKE

Hello, colleagues, Dawn Riske here, happy to be part of an organization that provides some of the best continuing ed-ucation around. My position as Director of Music Ministries at Christ the King Catholic Church in University City is a good springboard for service to the larger musical community of the Saint Louis area. After a break from my previous terms on the AGO Executive Committee, it would be an honor to be around that table again, planning, assisting, and encouraging. I continue to coordinate AGO certification exams and am a member of National Pastoral Musicians. A big goal of mine would be to support a truly amazing Regional Convention here in 2015!

SUZANNE MANELLI

I majored in piano and bassoon and graduated from the University of Missouri at St. Louis with a major in music education. I fell for the “since you play piano can you help us out on the organ?” pitch but fortunately had a dad who was a lifelong organist to help me get started. The church and AGO have provided a lot of continuing education opportunities. I play the 1949 Moller organ and conduct the choir at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Morganford. My day job is as an IT business analyst/programmer for Centene Corporation, a healthcare company.

MARK R. SCHOLTZ

Mark is the Organist and Choirmaster at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Town & Country, Missouri. He earned his degree in Organ Performance from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. In 1990, he studied interpretation of the organ works of Arthur Wills with the composer at Ely Cathedral, England. He has since presented premieres of several of Dr. Wills’ compositions including the American Premiere of Fenland Suite for organ, English brass band, and percussion with conductor Bruce J. Barber II; and the Cleveland Premiere of Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani. As a recitalist, Mr. Scholtz has had the wonderful opportunity to play some notable instruments in New York City, Washington D.C., and Boston. Abroad, recitals have been presented in London, Ely Cathedral, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Paris. Mr. Scholtz was, from 1990-2004, the Organist and Choirmaster at Saint John’s Church, Washington, Connecticut. In Saint Louis, he was the Assistant Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of Saint Michael and Saint George from 2008-2012.

In the Spring of 2008 Mr. Scholtz started his own company, Scholtz Pipe Organ Tonal Solutions, Inc. specializing in the tonal design of pipe organs, voicing and re-voicing of pipe work, and on-site tonal finishing of completed instruments. The company is a founding member of Robert William Wallace Pipe Organs (RWWpipeorgans.com) which offers a full range of services including new pipe organs custom designed to meet the unique needs of each individual client, re-voicing of existing pipe organs, and rebuilding of and technical upgrades to existing instruments. Their first Opus is installed in the Church of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception (RC) in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

AGO North Central Regional Convention Update

The members of the Steering Committee continue working on preliminary details and plans for the convention which our chapter will host in June 2015. Thank you to those of you who attended the town hall meeting in February and to those who have submitted ideas to me through mail and email. We are presently working to get a contract signed with a hotel. Once we have the hotel contract signed we will have the official dates for our convention.

Sunday, April 7—7:00 pm Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church Bach’s Cantata 4, Christ lag in Todesbanden, proclaiming Christ’s triumph over the grave, is joined by the charming Mass in G by the youthful Franz Schubert.

Friday, April 12—7:30 pm St. Paul Fine Arts Series, Belleville, IL Christopher Houlihan, Concert Organist, ‘Houli’ is widely acknowledged as one of the brightest stars in the new genera-tion of American organists! Contact: 618-233-3303 www.stpaulucc.org

Sunday, April 21—4:00 pm Second Presbyterian Church Earth Day Hymn Festival. Join us the day prior to Earth Day for an exciting Hymn Festival—hymns and readings with the choirs of Second Presbyterian Church and Grace United Methodist Church. Organist Andrew Peters, trumpeter Susan Slaughter and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra brass members will lead the singing as we celebrate the joy of Creation.

Sunday, May 19—3:00 p.m. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church A cappella masterpieces by Polish and Russian masters, including Rachmaninoff’s Divine Liturgy, performed in a beautiful old-world architectural treasure.

Sunday, May 19 – 3:00 p.m. Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church. 9450 Clayton Road, St. Louis, 63124. Configurations, the resident chamber ensemble of Ladue Chapel, will present a concert featuring Dohnanyi Serenade for Strings and Brahms G Minor Piano Quartet. Members of Configurations are Alison Rolf, violin; Christine Banda, viola; and James Nacy, cello. Joining them on this program will be pianist Diana Umali. Freewill offering. Contact: David Erwin at 314-993-4771 x3121 or go to www.laduechapel.org for more information.

JUNE

Ken Cowan, Associate Professor and head of the organ program at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, will be dedicating the new Four Manual Walker Digital Organ. There will be a reception following the concert in order to meet Mr. Cowan. Contact Director of Music Ministries, Travis Evans at 314-469-2224 with any questions.

OPEN POSITIONS

Holy Cross Lutheran Church (ELCA), of Creve Coeur MO, is looking for a part time music director (20 hours per week) to lead the music at worship services, direct the church choir, and oversee the praise band. The music director will be responsible for the music at both traditional and contemporary worship services. Proficiency in piano and organ is required. We would prefer that this person have experience as a praise band and choir director. Music Degree not required, but preferred. To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to pastor@holycrosselca.com. For more information, please call our church office at 314-434-0546.

FOR SALE

After 50 years of Organ Playing, I am now retired. I am selling my entire collection of sheet music. I have stacks of music beginning at $3.00. Also in my repertoire the entire works of J.S. Bach and all of the masters. If interested you may call me at 314-966-0889 or my son at 314-805-6020. Layton R Breitweiser, 1025 Dickson, St. Louis MO 63122.